My Beloved Monster
by eloriane
Summary: A short songfic from Touya's point of view, mostly sweet memories with Sakura. (complete)


"Touya! Wait!!!" she yelled, racing after me as she stuffed food into her mouth. "Wait for me!" I smiled to myself and slowed down so she could catch up.  
  
"You sleep too much, monster." I said, grinning. I was 17 years of age, but my little sister was easily the girl I loved most. I teased her often.  
  
"I'm not a monster!" Sakura Kinomoto said, in a less cheerful mood. 10 years old and a cute little fourth grader, everyone loved her. Including me. We picked up Yuki and she got all starry-eyed, as usual. I just shook my head.  
  
"I hear you have been over-sleeping, Sakura...is something worrying you?" asked Yuki, ever kind and considerate.  
  
"An empty mind has no worries." I answered for her, making my face as blank as possibe. She kicked me in the shin and I winced.  
  
This was how every morning went. Sakura, Yuki and me going to school together; Sakura being cute, Yuki being cuter and me teasing them both. It suited me just fine.  
  
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my beloved monster and me  
  
we go everywhere together  
  
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I was walking home from work, as usual. Rain as pouring down but I had a big raincoat so I was dry. I stopped at a light and saw someone crossing the street, trying to use an umbrella that wasn't really helping. Sakura! I laughed out loud.  
  
"Where's your raincoat, monster?" I asked.  
  
"I'm not a monster! And it was sunny this morning, so I thought I wouldn't need it. I borrowed an umbrella from Tomoyo."  
  
"That's what weather forecasts are for!" She punched me but I laughed. "You're getting soaked, put the umbrella away. I'll share my raincoat with you."  
  
She did, and we walked on for a while. It was strangely quiet, just the pouding of the raindrops as they crashed to the ground. Out of nowhere, Sakura giggled.  
  
"Whatcha thinking?" I asked.  
  
"I just thought that this would be a lot easier if there were more sleeves on this raincoat!"  
  
I laughed out loud – I couldn't help it! Sakura comes up with the oddest notions.  
  
"A raincoat with four sleeves, eh? That would be...interesting."  
  
That year, for my birthday, Sakura presented me with a raincoat made by Tomoyo with - you guessed it - four sleeves. We laughed so hard that day...poor Yuki and Dad didn't get it at all but it suited me just fine.  
  
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wearing a raincoat that has four sleeves  
  
gets us through all kinds of weather  
  
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I sat in bed, bored out of my mind with my bandaged foot propped up on a pillow. I was starting to regret my attempt to help whatever it was that took Sakura's form when Sakura came in with a plate of pancakes for me.  
  
I took a bite. They were good, as always.  
  
"I could go down to eat." I stated.  
  
"You hurt your leg! You can't be walking on it!" she exclaimed. I smiled inwardly. I was about to thank her when I noticed something in the hood of her jacket.  
  
"That...thing..." I began. It wasn't a toy...but...what was it?  
  
Sakura sure wasn't about to tell me.  
  
"Huh? Ah...um...this?" she said, pointing to it. She was obviously getting nervous. "I felt lonely cooking on my own...so I look a stuffed animal with me!" I stared at it. It may have been an animal, but it was anything but stuffed. Just then the doorbell rang, though, and she went to answer it.  
  
"I'm sorry..." she said, pausing at the door.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Nothing...just sorry."  
  
"Is there something in these pancakes?!" I tried to ask, but she was gone. I sighed. My little sister is growing up...the days when she would tell me everything are gone. I miss them.  
  
I kept eating. The pancakes were good. It was just like Sakura to take care of me like this. She was so kind sometimes, and always cheerful. It was nice to see her smiling and laughing when I came home from work, wherever I was working. Her coming with Yuki and I every morning and afternoon made me forget for a while all the teasing at school, and it suited me just fine.  
  
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she will always be the only thing  
  
that come between and the awful sting  
  
that comes from living in a world  
  
that's so damn mean  
  
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I was biking home from work late one night. It was just like any other night, except as I passed the Tsukimine shrine I heard Sakura's voice. What in the world is she doing out so late? I hid my bike in a bush and went to yell at her and bring her home, but stopped short. I watched for a while.  
  
"It's time...for the final trial." said Ms. Mitsuki in a voice very unlike her own. What the heck is going on?!  
  
Yuki rose into the air, was enveloped in wings and then...someone else was floating in his place.  
  
"Who...who are you?" asked Sakura. That was when I realized she was there - she, too, was floating in the air. She held a staff I had never seen before and wore an outfit obviously made by Tomoyo, who stood by videotaping everything  
  
I watched as Sakura and Yueh - who, it turned out, was Yuki - fought and slowly everything got explained. The toy that wasn't - it was a guardian, Keroberos. Yuki who had never seemed human - he was a guardian too. Sakura's secrets - she was a cardcaptor. It was almost too much to take in.  
  
I wanted to burst in and cheer her on, or take her away from Yueh who fired one thing after another at her, but I knew that neither would help. Syaoran tried to help but Keroberos said she would automatically lose if anyone intervened. That stupid gaki! I was cursing myself for not figuring it all out sooner, even though there was no way I could have, when suddenly, I realized that Yueh had been defeated!  
  
I couldn't hear what they were saying but then the giant lion turned back into the little "toy" Sakura carried, and Yueh was my Yuki again...and then Yuki fainted. I came out of my hiding place to catch him, and was faced with a very surprised Sakura.  
  
I couldn't let her know that I had seen everything so I just asked, "What are you doing out so late?"  
  
"TOUYA!!!" she yelled, obviously taken aback. I laughed to myself.  
  
"What's with the get-up?" I asked, referring to the costume she wore. "Ahh, never mind. I'll take you home, little mosnter."  
  
"I'm not a monster..." she grumbled, and I laughed. Just like old times...it suited me just fine.  
  
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my beloved monster is tough  
  
if she wants she will destroy you  
  
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The gaki came by more and more often after that, until he left for Hong- Kong. A few years later, I came home from work and heard his voice. I peeked in on him and Sakura...he kissed her. Many times. Sakura looked so surprised, I couldn't help smiling to myself, but it was a happy surprise. They lay down on the couch...and I closed the door gently.  
  
My Sakura was growing up, in love...but she was happy and it suited me just fine.  
  
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but if you lay her down for a kiss  
  
her little heart, it could explode  
  
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Sakura bust into the house wearing a diamond ring and a huge grin.  
  
"I'm getting married!" she exclaimed. "To Syao-chan!"  
  
"My little monster is growing up." I said with a sigh and a smile and tousled her hair.  
  
"I'm not a monster!"  
  
So. The gaki was going to take her away from me at last. Still, he wasn't so bad. He would take good care of her...  
  
But what about me? It will be lonely around the house without her there. She always makes me forget all my problems. Still, if she is happy it suits me just fine.  
  
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she will always be the only thing  
  
that comes between me and the awful sting  
  
that comes from living in a world  
  
that's so damn mean  
  
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The wedding. The moment of truth. The day I really had to let my Sakura, my baby sister, my little monster, go and live her own life.  
  
It was harder than I expected. Much harder.  
  
Everyone was so happy for her, and she was beaming the whole time. She wore another one of Tomoyo's creations, and so did Syaoran - I promised her I wouldn't call him the gaki any more - and Tomoyo herself was following them around with a video camera.  
  
I kissed her cheek one last time as she got into the car.  
  
"I love you, little monster." I said, one last time.  
  
"I'm not a monster!" she argued, a little sadly, one last time.  
  
And she drove away with Syaoran, waving from the back seat one last time.  
  
It hurt more than I expected. Much more. I tried to act like I was happy for her, I tried to act like nothing had changed, but life was harder without my beloved monster.  
  
I walked home alone. It started raining. I put on my big old raincoat that we had shared so many times and hummed to myself as a few tears splashed to the pavement with the rain.  
  
My monster will come back, with little monsters of her own, and life will go on. It didn't suit me...but I'd survive.  
  
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la la la la la la la la  
  
la la la la la la...  
  
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End file.
